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<h1 class="short">Gmsh</h1>

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<h1>A three-dimensional finite element mesh generator with built-in pre- and
  post-processing facilities&nbsp;<img class="title"
  src="gallery/gmsh_title.png" alt=""></h1>

<h4>Christophe Geuzaine and Jean-François Remacle</h4>

<div id="toc">
  <a href="#Download">Download</a>
  | <a href="#Documentation">Documentation</a>
  | <a href="#Licensing">Licensing</a>
  | <a href="#Screenshots">Screenshots</a>
  | <a href="#Links">Links</a>
  | <a href="#References">References</a>
</div>

<p>
Gmsh is an open source 3D finite element mesh generator with a built-in CAD
engine and post-processor. Its design goal is to provide a fast, light and
user-friendly meshing tool with parametric input and flexible visualization
capabilities.  Gmsh is built
around <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Overview-of-Gmsh">four modules</a>
(geometry, mesh, solver and post-processing), which can be controlled with
the <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Gmsh-graphical-user-interface">graphical user
interface</a>, from
the <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Gmsh-command_002dline-interface">command
line</a>, using text files written in Gmsh's
own <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Gmsh-scripting-language">scripting
language</a> (<code>.geo</code> files), or through the C++, C, Python, Julia and
Fortran <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Gmsh-application-programming-interface">application
programming interface</a>.
</p>

<p>
See this <a href="doc/course/general_overview.pdf">general presentation</a> for
a high-level overview of Gmsh and the <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html">reference
manual</a> for the complete documentation, which includes
the <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Gmsh-tutorial">Gmsh tutorial</a>.
The <a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/">source code repository</a>
contains the
<a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/tree/master/tutorials">tutorial
source files</a> as well as
many <a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/tree/master/benchmarks">other</a>
<a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/tree/master/examples">examples</a>.
</p>

<h2><a name="Download"></a>Download</h2>

<p>
Gmsh is distributed under the terms of the <a href="LICENSE.txt">GNU General
Public License (GPL)</a>:
</p>
<ul>
  <li>
    <div class="highlight">
      Current stable release (version 4.14.1, 2 September 2025):
      <ul>
        <li>Download Gmsh for
          <a href="bin/Windows/gmsh-4.14.1-Windows64.zip">Windows</a>,
          <a href="bin/Linux/gmsh-4.14.1-Linux64.tgz">Linux</a>,
          <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-4.14.1-MacOSX.dmg">macOS (x86)</a> or
          <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-4.14.1-MacOSARM.dmg">macOS (ARM)</a>
          <a href="#1"><sup>*</sup></a>
        <li>Download the <a href="src/gmsh-4.14.1-source.tgz">source code</a>
        <li>Download the Software Development Kit (SDK) for
          <a href="bin/Windows/gmsh-4.14.1-Windows64-sdk.zip">Windows</a>,
          <a href="bin/Linux/gmsh-4.14.1-Linux64-sdk.tgz">Linux</a>,
          <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-4.14.1-MacOSX-sdk.tgz">macOS (x86) or
          <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-4.14.1-MacOSARM-sdk.tgz">macOS (ARM)</a>
          </a> <a href="#1"><sup>*</sup></a>
        <li>Download both Gmsh and the SDK with pip: '<code>pip install
            --upgrade <a href="https://pypi.org/project/gmsh/">gmsh</a></code>'
      </ul>
    </div>
    <p>
      <em>Make sure to read
        the <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Gmsh-tutorial">tutorial</a> and the
        <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html#Frequently-asked-questions">FAQ</a>
        before sending questions or bug reports.</em>
    </p>
  <li>Development version:
    <ul>
      <li>Download the latest automatic Gmsh snapshot for
        <a href="bin/Windows/gmsh-git-Windows64.zip">Windows</a>,
        <a href="bin/Linux/gmsh-git-Linux64.tgz">Linux</a>,
        <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-git-MacOSX.dmg">macOS (x86)</a> or
        <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-git-MacOSARM.dmg">macOS (ARM)</a>
        <a href="#1"><sup>*</sup></a>
      <li>Download the latest automatic <a href="src/gmsh-git-source.tgz">source
        code</a> snapshot
      <li>Download the latest automatic SDK snapshot for
        <a href="bin/Windows/gmsh-git-Windows64-sdk.zip">Windows</a>,
        <a href="bin/Linux/gmsh-git-Linux64-sdk.tgz">Linux</a>,
        <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-git-MacOSX-sdk.tgz">macOS (x86)</a> or
        <a href="bin/macOS/gmsh-git-MacOSARM-sdk.tgz">macOS (ARM)</a>
        <a href="#1"><sup>*</sup></a>
      <li>Access the Git repository: '<code>git clone
          <a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh.git">https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh.git</a></code>'
      <li>Download the latest automatic snapshot of both Gmsh and the SDK with
        pip: '<code>pip install -i https://gmsh.info/python-packages-dev
        --force-reinstall --no-cache-dir gmsh</code>' (on Linux systems without
        X windows, use <code>python-packages-dev-nox</code> instead of
        <code>python-packages-dev</code>)
    </ul>
    <p>
    </p>
  <li>All versions: <a href="bin/">binaries</a> and <a href="src/">sources</a>
</ul>

<p>
If you use Gmsh please cite the following reference in your work (books,
articles, reports, etc.): <a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_paper_preprint.pdf">C.
Geuzaine and J.-F. Remacle. <em>Gmsh: a three-dimensional finite element mesh
generator with built-in pre- and post-processing facilities</em>. International
Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 79(11), pp. 1309-1331, 2009</a>.
You can also cite additional references for <a href="#References">specific
features and algorithms</a>.
</p>

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<div class="small">
  <a name="1"><sup>*</sup></a> Binary releases require Windows &ge; 10, Linux
  with glibc &ge; 2.24, macOS (x86 - Intel processors) &ge; 10.15 or macOS (ARM
  - Apple M-series processors) &ge; 12
</div>

<h2><a name="Documentation"></a>Documentation</h2>

<ul>
  <li><a href="doc/course/general_overview.pdf">General presentation</a> with
    high-level overview of Gmsh and recent developments
  <li><b><a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.html">Gmsh reference manual (stable release)</a>
      (also available in
      <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.pdf">PDF</a> and in
      <a href="doc/texinfo/gmsh.txt">plain text</a>)</b>
  <li><a href="dev/doc/texinfo/gmsh.html">Gmsh reference manual (development version)</a>
      (also available in
      <a href="dev/doc/texinfo/gmsh.pdf">PDF</a> and in
      <a href="dev/doc/texinfo/gmsh.txt">plain text</a>)
  <li><a href="screencasts/">Screencasts</a> showing how to use
    the graphical user interface
  <li><a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh">Gitlab development site</a> with a
    <a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/wikis/home">wiki</a>,
    <a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/commits/master">time line</a>
    of changes and the <a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/issues">bug
    tracking</a> database
  <li><a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/blob/master/CHANGELOG.txt">Changelog</a>
</ul>

<p>
Please report all issues
on <a href="https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/issues"
><code>https://gitlab.onelab.info/gmsh/gmsh/issues</code></a>.
</p>

<h2><a name="Licensing"></a>Licensing</h2>

<p>
Gmsh is copyright (C) 1997-2025 by
<a href="http://people.montefiore.ulg.ac.be/geuzaine">C. Geuzaine</a> and
<a href="http://perso.uclouvain.be/jean-francois.remacle/">J.-F. Remacle</a>
(see the <a href="CREDITS.txt">CREDITS</a> file for more information) and
is distributed under the terms of
the <a href="LICENSE.txt">GNU General Public License
(GPL)</a> (version 2 or later, with an exception to allow for easier
linking with external libraries).
</p>
<p>
In short, this means that everyone is free to use Gmsh and to redistribute it on
a free basis. Gmsh is not in the public domain; it is copyrighted and there are
restrictions on its distribution (see the license and the
related <a href="https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl-faq.html">frequently asked
questions</a>).  For example, you cannot integrate this version of Gmsh (in full
or in parts) in any <em>closed-source</em> software you plan to distribute
(commercially or not). If you want to integrate parts of Gmsh into a
closed-source software, or want to sell a modified closed-source version of
Gmsh, you will need to obtain a commercial license: please
<a href="http://www.montefiore.ulg.ac.be/~geuzaine">contact us</a>
for details.
</p>

<h2><a name="Screenshots"></a>Screenshots</h2>

<p>
  These are two screenshots of the Gmsh user interface, with either the light or
  dark user interface theme. See the <a href="http://onelab.info">ONELAB</a> web
  site for more.
</p>

<p>
  <a href="gallery/screenshot.png">
    <img class="screenshot" src="gallery/thumbnail.png"
         alt="screenshot">
  </a>
  <a href="gallery/screenshot2.png">
    <img class="screenshot" src="gallery/thumbnail2.png"
         alt="screenshot">
  </a>
</p>


<h2><a name="Links"></a>Links</h2>

<ul>
  <li>Gmsh uses <a href="http://www.opencascade.org">OpenCASCADE</a> for
    constructive geometry features, and interfaces the optional external mesh
    and mesh adaptation librairies <a href="http://ngsolve.org/">Netgen</a> and
    <a href="https://www.mmgtools.org/">Mmg3d</a>.
  <li>Gmsh's cross-platform graphical user interface is based
    on <a href="http://www.fltk.org/">FLTK</a>
    and <a href="http://www.opengl.org/">OpenGL</a>.
  <li>Gmsh's high quality vector PostScript, PDF and SVG output is produced
    by <a href="http://geuz.org/gl2ps/">GL2PS</a>.
  <li>Gmsh implements a <a href="http://onelab.info">ONELAB</a> server to drive
    external solvers such as the open source finite element
    solver <a href="https://getdp.info">GetDP</a>. Gmsh and GetDP are bundled in
    the ONELAB app for
    <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/onelab/id845930897">iPhone, iPad</a> and
    <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.geuz.onelab">Android</a>
    devices.
  <!-- li>We organized the <a href="http://tetrahedron.montefiore.ulg.ac.be">fifth
      Tetrahedron</a> workshop in Li&egrave;ge on July 4-5 2016. -->
</ul>

<h2><a name="References"></a>References</h2>

<div class="small">
  Gmsh
  <ul class="small">
    <li>C. Geuzaine and
      J.-F. Remacle. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_paper_preprint.pdf">Gmsh: a
      three-dimensional finite element mesh generator with built-in pre- and
      post-processing facilities</a></em>. International Journal for Numerical
      Methods in Engineering 79(11), pp. 1309-1331, 2009.
    </li>
  </ul>
  Cross-patch and STL meshing (Compounds)
  <ul class="small">
    <li>J.-F. Remacle, C. Geuzaine, G. Compère and
      E. Marchandise. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_stl_preprint.pdf">High-quality
      surface remeshing using harmonic maps</a></em>.  International Journal for
      Numerical Methods in Engineering 83(4), pp. 403-425, 2010.
    <li>E. Marchandise, C. Carton de Wiart, W. G. Vos, C. Geuzaine and
      J.-F. Remacle.  <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_stl2_preprint.pdf">High
      quality surface remeshing using harmonic maps. Part II: surfaces with high
      genus and of large aspect ratio</a></em>.  International Journal for Numerical
      Methods in Engineering 86(11), pp. 1303-1321, 2011.
    <li>E. Marchandise, J.-F. Remacle and
      C. Geuzaine. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_stl3_preprint.pdf">Optimal
      parametrizations for surface remeshing</a></em>. Engineering with
      Computers, December 2012, pp. 1-20.
  </ul>
  Quad meshing
  <ul class="small">
    <li>
      J.-F. Remacle, J. Lambrechts, B. Seny, E. Marchandise, A. Johnen and
      C. Geuzaine. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_quad_preprint.pdf">Blossom-Quad:
      a non-uniform quadrilateral mesh generator using a minimum cost perfect
      matching algorithm</a></em>.  International Journal for Numerical Methods
      in Engineering 89, pp. 1102-1119, 2012.
    <li>J.-F. Remacle, F. Henrotte, T. Carrier-Baudouin, E. Béchet,
      E. Marchandise, C. Geuzaine and
      T. Mouton. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_quad2_preprint.pdf">A frontal
      Delaunay quad mesh generator using the L&infin; norm</a></em>.
      International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, 94(5),
      pp. 494-512, 2013.
  </ul>
  High-order meshing
  <ul class="small">
    <li>A. Johnen, J.-F. Remacle and
      C. Geuzaine. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_curved_preprint.pdf">Geometric
          validity of curvilinear finite elements</a></em>. Journal of
      Computational Physics 233, pp. 359-372, 2013.
    <li>A. Johnen, J.-F. Remacle and
      C. Geuzaine. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_curved2_preprint.pdf">Geometric
          validity of high-Order triangular finite elements</a></em>. Engineering
      with Computers 30 (3), pp. 375-382, 2014.
    <li>T. Toulorge, C. Geuzaine, J.-F. Remacle,
      J. Lambrechts. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_untangling_preprint.pdf">Robust
          untangling of curvilinear meshes</a></em>. Journal of Computational
      Physics 254, pp. 8-26, 2013.
  </ul>
  High-order visualization
  <ul class="small">
    <li>J.-F. Remacle, N. Chevaugeon, E. Marchandise and
      C. Geuzaine. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_visu_preprint.pdf">Efficient
      visualization of high-order finite elements</a></em>. International Journal
      for Numerical Methods in Engineering 69(4), pp. 750-771, 2007.
  </ul>
  Homology solver
  <ul class="small">
    <li>M. Pellikka, S. Suuriniemi, L. Kettunen and
      C. Geuzaine. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_homology_preprint.pdf">Homology
      and cohomology computation in finite element modeling</a></em>. SIAM
      Journal on Scientific Computing 35(5), pp. 1195-1214, 2013.
  </ul>
<!--
  Ocean meshing
  <ul class="small">
    <li>J. Lambrechts, R. Comblen, V. Legat, C. Geuzaine and
      J.-F. Remacle. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_ocean_preprint.pdf">Multiscale
       mesh generation on the sphere</a></em>. Ocean
      Dynamics, 58, pp. 461-473, 2008.
  </ul>
  Biomedical meshing
  <ul class="small">
    <li>E. Marchandise, G. Compère, M. Willemet, G. Bricteux, C. Geuzaine and
      J-F Remacle. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_bio_preprint.pdf">Quality
      meshing based on STL triangulations for biomedical simulations</a></em>.
      International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering
      26(7), pp. 876-889, 2010.
    <li>E. Marchandise, P. Crosetto, C. Geuzaine, J.-F. Remacle and
      E. Sauvage. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_bio2_preprint.pdf">Quality
      open source mesh generation for cardiovascular flow simulations</a></em>,
      in Modelling Physiological Flow, Springer Series on Modeling, Simulation
      and Applications (Editors: D. Ambrosi, A. Quarteroni,
      G. Rozza). Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, 2011.
    <li>E. Marchandise, C. Geuzaine and
      J.-F. Remacle. <em><a href="doc/preprints/gmsh_bio3_preprint.pdf">Cardiovascular
      and lung mesh generation based on centerlines</a></em>. International
      Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering, submitted,
      2012.
  </ul>
-->
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